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Country report and updates: Liechtenstein

As published in The Right to Conscientious Objection in Europe, Quaker Council for European Affairs, 2005.

Liechtenstein has no armed forces.

The 1921 Constitution, as amended in 2003, does allow for the introduction of conscription in case of war or emergency. According to Article 44: "Every man fit to bear arms shall be liable, up to the completion of his sixtieth year, to serve in the defence of his country in the event of an emergency. Apart from this contingency, no armed units may be organized or maintained, except so far as may be necessary for the provision of the police force and the preservation of internal order. Detailed regulations regarding this matter may be laid down by law".[1]

Articles related to conscientious objection

In this presentation I will give an overview of the right to conscientious objection, its
legal practices and frameworks in the 27 European Union member states. Before I do so, I want to step back a bit and have a brief look at the existing international standards about the right to
conscientious objection, as these standards allow us to put the practices in the EU member states into a perspective.